Huge crowds flock to 'heaving' Blackpool despite Lancashire being on brink of lockdown

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentVery few The Mediapro Studio shows, indeed very few Spanish series in general, have lit a fire on the open market like “The Head,” an Antarctic-set thriller which lifts off as a murder mystery to constantly evolve into other realms. Starring Álvaro Morte, “Money Heist’s” Professor and Japanese pop idol Tomohisa Yamashita, written by Alex and David Pastor (“Hogar,” “Carriers”) and directed by Jorge Dorado (“The Department of Time,” “The Pier”), “The Head” broke viewership records on co-financiers Hulu Japan and HBO Asia and sold to over 90 countries including HBO in the U.S. The Mediapro Studio retained IP. “Sales opened doors to new markets and clients with whom we hadn’t worked before,” said Laura Fernández Espeso, CEO of The Mediapro Studio.

Zara McDermott and boyfriend Sam Thompson have been doting over the new addition to their family after his sister Louise welcomed her son Leo back in November. But since Louise, 31, has opened up about the PTSD she has suffered since almost dying in childbirth, Sam has given his own plans for a family some thought. “Zara has been spending lots of time with Louise’s baby and posting lots of pictures.

Sam Bird and Kailah Casillas delighted fans last week when they revealed they had eloped to Gibraltar and got hitched. Love Island star turned DJ Sam, 28, and The Challenge star Kailah, 29, got engaged in August 2020 after around eight months of dating. And after months of trying to plan their dream big day, the couple decided to throw caution to the wind and book flights to Gibraltar to marry and within two weeks the pair said "I do".

Single’s Inferno. Earlier today (March 24), South Korean news outlet TV Daily reported that Single’s Inferno is set to return with a second season, with specific filming and release timelines currently under discussion at Netflix. It also claimed that the casting process for the new season had already been kickstarted.Netflix has since responded to the report, telling Maeil Kyungje in a brief statement that “nothing has been decided regarding the production of a second season for Single’s Inferno”, as translated by Soompi.The first season of Single’s Inferno, which premiered on the streaming platform in December 2021 and concluded in January this year, starred 12 single men and women as they get to know one another with the goal of finding love on a deserted island.Couples who successfully pair up are later sent to ‘Paradise’ for a night where they can enjoy a luxury hotel stay and ask questions regarding their age and occupations.Single’s Inferno has since become the first-ever South Korean reality series to appear on the platform’s global Top 10 TV Shows chart, while topping the charts in several countries including Vietnam, Singapore and Korea.

A hunt for an escaped prisoner sparked the closure of the M56 and M6 for hours yesterday, causing traffic chaos.

There was plenty of drama in Wednesday's Coronation Street as bunny boiler Lydia Chambers finally told the truth following Adam Barlow's horror accident that left him at risk of losing his sight. Lydia had been stalking her ex Adam after she befriended his wife Sarah and plotted to wreck their marriage in revenge for how badly the womaniser treated her in their university days.

A teenager has claimed he 'needed to take revenge’ for the death of his friend, a trial has heard. Manchester Crown Court earlier heard that Alexander John Soyoye was killed on Bonfire Night 2020 by members of or those affiliated to the Release the Danger (RTD) gang.

A number of patients at a medical practice in Trafford have been told they need to find a new doctor due to catchment restrictions.

Khloe Kardashian is enjoying a night out with her girls!

BTS member J-Hope has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, according to his label Big Hit Music.Today, Big Hit Music confirmed the K-pop idol’s positive diagnosis in a statement to the group’s Weverse page. The label noted that the idol had begun experiencing symptoms of a sore throat on March 23, which prompted him to take a PCR test that same day as a precaution, before testing positive the day after.The label then went on to clarify that the 28-year-old rapper had been triple-vaccinated against the virus prior to his diagnosis.

Spoon have shared a new remix EP containing three alternate versions of their song ‘Wild’, including a remix by Jack Antonoff.Antonoff co-wrote the original song, which appeared on latest Spoon album ‘Lucifer On The Sofa’. His new rendition of ‘Wild’ is a little cleaner than the version that appears on the album, featuring Antonoff’s crisp pop production throughout.Antonoff’s remix is included along with a dub rework courtesy of reggae legend Dennis Bovell, and a “trashy” version that turns up the fuzz.

Joni Mitchell has given her stamp of approval to the title of Harry Styles‘ recently-announced third solo album, ‘Harry’s House’.Mitchell included a song called ‘Harry’s House/Centerpiece’ on her 1975 album ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’. The song, which details a failing marriage against a backdrop of materialist culture, interpolates the jazz standard ‘Centerpiece’ by Harry Edison and Jon Hendricks.Shortly after Styles announced the album on Twitter yesterday (March 23), Mitchell retweeted his post, writing “love the title”.

Exciting news for The Bachelorette fans!

Reese Witherspoon, praising the actress for being "brilliant, joyful, fiery" and "thoughtful" on her 46th birthday.MORE: 7 Reese Witherspoon Book Club reads for your 2022 reading list - including her latest pickSharing a picture of her mom holding onto a bouquet of flowers, Ava left fans emotional with the sweet tribute in which she shared how "lucky" she felt to call Reese mom. WATCH: Reese Witherspoon's throwback marks big milestone"With every year, her bright light shines even brighter, and I find even more reasons to love her and a greater appreciation for all that she does," she captioned the post."Happy happy birthday to the brilliant, joyful, fiery, thoughtful, and gorgeous woman that I am lucky enough to call my momMORE: Reese Witherspoon makes major announcement: 'Dreams really do come true'"I love you ...

Jennifer Aniston paid tribute to her dogs on Wednesday's National Puppy Day, sharing several adorable pictures of them on Instagram.MORE: Jennifer Aniston shares heartbreaking tribute in honor of International Women's DayTaking to her Stories, the actress delighted fans as she said never-before-seen snaps of her pet Chesterfield as a puppy.WATCH: Jennifer Aniston stuns in gold tassel trousers"I don't know if 'National Puppy Day' is a real holiday… but I'll take any excuse to post Chesterfield throwbacks," she wrote alongside the first picture, which showed Chesterfield posing for the camera.READ: Jennifer Aniston shares incredible behind-the-scenes footage of Reese Witherspoon for special celebrationRELATED: Jennifer Aniston's lavish bathroom at $21m home is basically a spa – full lookJennifer later posted two videos, one of Chesterfield as a small puppy and another showing him all grown up. Jennifer paid tribute to her dogs, past and present, on National Puppy Day"From this… to THIS," she captioned the clips.Following her sweet tribute to Chesterfield, the Friends star went on to honour Dolly, who sadly passed away in 2019."Hi! I'm Jen and your name...? Dolly.

Demi Rose has risked an Instagram ban with a scandalous naked snap.The 26-year-old model from Birmingham appeared completely nude in the new picture on her Instagram, where she is laid out on a sun bed with her back and bum showing.She is seen looking up and past the camera to the right, and is wearing only a large black straw hat on her head.A short but sweet caption read: "I’ll send you a postcard."One impressed fan commented: "Demi your body is sooo perfect.

EastEnders has wowed fans with her latest snap 11 years after she left the soap.21-year-old former actress Molly Conlin made her first appearance on the soap as the young Dotty Cotton in December 2008.Sharing her latest sizzling snap with her nearly 25,000 Instagram followers, she donned a strappy black dress with a criss-cross cut out down her side, showcasing her incredible figure.Her brunette tresses where styled loose and long down her shoulders, pulled back from her face to reveal a glam makeup look.She bizarrely captioned the post "Ants" alongside an ant emoji.The snap has since been liked over 2,300 times, with fans and friends rushing to the comments section to compliment her.Several left fire or heart-eyes emojis, with others simply writing: "Wow!"Someone else said: "Looking just amazing.""Absolutely gorgeous," added another.A fourth said: "If Carlsberg did figures!"Other more eagle-eyed people noticed the tins and packets on confectionery in the background of the snap.One person joked: "Got any haribo left?"While another said: "Love Quality Streets x."Molly was just seven when she was first cast in EastEnders. She had actually previously auditioned for the part of Tiffany Dean - which ended up going to Maisie Smith - but didn't get it as she was considered too old.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentUGC, the long-running French film studio whose biggest hits include “Amelie Poulain,” has successful branched into TV series by acquiring stakes in a flurry of talent-driven production companies such as Itineraire Productions (“HPI”) and Headline Pictures (“Call My Agent!’s” British remake) in the U.K.Opting for a different approach to Gaumont’s or large media groups like Mediawan, the company has been building its label UGC Series as a coalition of independently-ran production companies under the leadership of Laurence Lenica, a veteran UGC executive, and Franck Calderon, a well-known writer, producer and former boss of TF1 Productions.So far, UGC Series comprises six banners. Along with Headline Pictures and Itineraire Productions, these include Henri Debeurne’s Next Episode whose credits take in “Christmas Flow” for Netflix and “J’ai tué mon mari” for NBCU and TF1; UGC Fiction, which Calderon is leading with Karine Evrard and Sophie Exbrayat, and which has delivered the ratings hit ”Jacqueline Sauvage, It was Him or Me”, and most recently “La Traque” for TF1.

Anna Marie de la Fuente At a time when journalists are under attack in many parts of the world and the odious term “fake news” has become part of the global lexicon, Spain’s Mediacrest presents the topical drama series “Fake” at a key event in France-based Series Mania, the invitation-only Spain Pitching Breakfast, on Thursday.Leading the charge is industry vet-producer Gustavo Ferrada (“Klaus,” “Nobody Knows Anybody”), Mediacrest’s executive director of fiction, who joined the fast-rising Spanish production company in January.“Fake” is one of five selected projects from leading Spanish production companies seeking European partners, comprising Fedent España, Friki Films, Onza, Vertice 360 and Mediacrest. Created in-house by Mediacrest’s deputy head of fiction, Carlos Molinero and senior scriptwriter Nicolás Romero, the Strasbourg-based series of six 52-minute episodes follows a high-powered couple as their once idyllic relationship turns toxic.

Vivienne Chow A wider representation of gender roles, more training opportunities for women filmmakers, and reaching out to women audiences are all ways forward to promote women-centric stories in Southeast Asian cinema, say women filmmakers from the region.The lively discussion involving Thai-American director Pailin Wedel (“Hope Frozen”), Indonesian actor Marissa Anita (“Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens”), Malaysian producer Lina Tan (“Sa Balik Baju”), and Filipino writer and producer Tanya Yuson (“Trese”) was staged by Netflix Asia on Wednesday.It concluded that streamers that can reach a wider audience online have already been making a positive impact on the industry as they help to find new audiences abroad, while also creating more opportunities for women filmmakers and diversity in storytelling. Works by the four panelists are all available on Netflix, which has been upping its game in Asia, particularly through its investment in local originals.Gender representation across Southeast Asia film and television content can vary widely.

Royal fans have slammed Kate Middleton and dubbed her "CopyKate" amid comparisons to Meghan Markle. However, others have defended the Duchess of Cambridge and begged for the comparisons to stop.The row among fans comes after Kate and Prince William attended an evening reception hosted by the Governor-General of Belize on Monday as part of their ongoing royal tour.Kate styled her brown hair in a slicked-back style for the posh party, donning a sparkling pink dress from British fashion brand The Vampire's Wife to go with it.Royal fans are used to seeing Kate's tresses styled loose and downward over her soldiers.